Egyptians march in support of Islamic institution al-Azhar

Protesters feel al-Azhar chief Ahmed el-Tayeb is being marginalised Cairo - Khaled Hassanin Thousands of protesters have gathered in the Egyptian cities of Luxor and Cairo in support of the Grand Imam of al-Azhar University, Ahmed el-Tayeb. Cairo's 'million-man march' was called by supporters of the Civil State Front (CSF) and attended by several Egyptian political parties. The protesters claimed that el-Tayeb is being targeted by the Muslim Brotherhood because it wants to control al-Azhar. The protest was organised after a week of political turmoil at the academic institution, where an outbreak of food poisoning at hospitalised more than 500 students on Monday, and led to the dismissal of president Osama al-Abd. According to reports, demonstrators carried signs reading "al-Azhar is a red line," and chanted against the supreme guide of the Muslim Brotherhood. Earlier, the Free Egyptians Party announced that it would participate in the demonstrations to express support for Egypt’s Islamic institution. Senior party official Mona Mounir expressed her party’s support for the institution, and claimed that the students had been politically poisoned by the government. She added that her party is strongly opposed to the exclusion of the grand imam. Mounir described the students' attempt to storm the cleric's office as a planned move by the Muslim Brotherhood. She expressed her support for al-Azhar and accused the ruling regime of attempting to take control. A number of revolutionary powers from the port city of Damietta announced that they would participate in the demonstration. these included, Damietta’s Youth Union, Revolutionary Youth Movement, and October 6 Movement. National Assembly of Change, a group of Egyptian professionals expressed its solidarity with al-Azhar and praised the institution for spreading the message of moderate Islam around the world. The group condemned extremist groups for trying to dominate the Islamic institution to achieve their political interests. Egypt’s Ministry of Health said that it had prepared for any potential clashes on Friday, having allocated 10 ambulances to Tahrir and five ambulances to the Abbaseya areas of Cairo. The ministry added that a further 30 ambulances would be on standby. In a separate development, the April 6 Youth Movement has organised a demonstration on Saturday to protest against the Egyptian government's policies. Spokesperson of the group, Mohamed Adel said that he would make sure the protest is as peaceful as their previous demonstrations, adding that youth group is a non-violent organisation.